Hello my Fellow Z4 Drivers.
This will be a rather large post but hope you enjoy.
So me and the wife spent a week off and the first 2 days was spent driving to Pikes Peak in Colorado, ...
1) because I never seen the Rockies, and 2) Well, the Z needed to prove herself road worthy.
So the trip was to extend from Kansas City, (close to) to Pikes peak. Supposed 558 miles from home to the Peak and 8 hours 22 mins non stop and 14k+ feet above sea level.. But who can put those kind of miles in? Surely not me.
Left to wash, dry and gas up at 7:33AM (Had to wash cause a Clean Zed is to be admired)
All was fine as we headed out, but the days temperatures that started out at 75F quickly shot up to a horrid 98F and I began to feel the wheels hopping and the road noise was extreme, so I pulled over and checked tire pressures and the fronts were at 45PSI and the backs 49PSI. Dropped them down to 33 and 39 and took back off and the road noise significantly reduced along with the tire hop that I was feeling.
Along the way we saw...... Wind farms..... one such due to the wife's wondering was over 26k acres of these things. Was quite impressive to drive and see them mile after mile. (Notice how great that Stubby looks on the fender)
And who cant travel with out taking a pic of the MPG eh? (Note, the odometer was not reset till we got home so the mileage you see was current for the trip after one fill up.
We actually got there with 1 and 1/2 tanks, not surprised as I normally get 330 miles if I keep my foot out of it on 3/4's of a tank.
We did make it to Colorado Springs and snagged a hotel room on the west side of Colorado Springs which set us up for a short drive to get onto Pikes Peak Highway the next morning.
Arrival.... 4:47PM
So we went out for a bite to eat down town. Tried to capture a pic as we headed back to the hotel put the pic does not do justice to real.
Being old I was up way before the wife the next morning and since the hotel room was non-smoking, I headed outside to get my morning fix. Went back, wife was up and we headed out for breakfast.
Kind of on my game plan, we were headed to pikes peak by 7 AM.
Arrival at the gate...... 7th inline at 7:24 AM....
This is the map of the road tho it seriously does not do it justice at the steepness of the road or how curvy it is.
At Crystal Reservoir we had to stop, like everyone else going to the summit as they had time trials going on for the next weekend so road was closed and we had to park and wait at a visitor/tourist trap. Was kind of cool listening to them as they were rocketing up the road that we had not seen yet. Which also made us respect cause the speeds they were doing and the output from the motors were fuggin serious. Last near an hour.... which left plenty of time for pics...
Did not realize it was so out of focus (thanks guard rail)
A look at Pikes Peak as we were listening to the cars rocketing to the top.
I know this is going to be a big challenge..... And We both were really enjoying the drive...The Zed was doing fabulous till we got to around 9.5k feet and as she was mostly in 2nd and 3rd the hole time up,.... I started to smell something burning. I smelt this smell a couple times previous when I really pushing her hard before near home. I'm not really sure where it was coming from tho I believe it was from the transmission.
Also can quite describe the smell as I work with Plastic. I know what that smells like burnt, so back to thinking hot transmission fluid or... (shrugs). Pulled off for a smoke in an off side parking spot, looked but saw nothing under the bonnet or on the ground. So back up we go..
The Z's pulling hard in 2nd with lots of rev range, the switch backs are really fun and we get another 3 miles up and I start smelling the smell again.
Asked the wife if she smelled it as the windows are down, the temps 63F, and she says yes... "Is that the car?"
Grrrr grrrr and double grrrrrrr.... So I push it up the hill to Cripple Creak. (fitting name that) and had to make a decision. Risk burning the tranny up as I believe that's the cause of the smell I smelt previously running her hard, or stop, and go back down.....? 6 miles to go to reach the summit, with serious switch backs and grades of 20%....... Parked at Cripple Creak.....
So I let the wife go inside and look for gifts while I seriously contemplated. Walked down a ravine and took this shot as I said to my self. "Fck fck fck!"
Att 11,425 feet and 6 miles to go, I called quits.
I chose to go back down, not risk burning up my transmission, which I believe is the smell I was smelling. and bring my baby back home so I can get that sorted out.
Cant complain for the miles I put on, tho I do seriously hate not making summit.
So this map shows where I decided to back off, or risk failure at 11424. (and a big bill)
Glad I installed new pads and rotors before I left. I know I smoked them once on the way down, Kind of hard not to, but at lest those got seriously bedded in, so to speak.
Off the mountain at 11:27 am .... back home at 8:09 PM
All in all, it was a hell of a trip to drive the Z on a serious road trip like that.
Road miles were 1187 miles, in two days.
When I stopped people either were staring or asking questions. Of coarse talking to those that were asking was quite fun, as always.
I will NOT road trip that car again like that as it beat us the hell up on the shitty roads.
Next time will be ship it to destination, pick it up and then drive it.
Hope you all enjoyed the log. I know I did as it was an experience to love/hate.
(Wipes forehead) Shooo, that was long eh?
(Howls Like only a Kapn can....)
This will be a rather large post but hope you enjoy.
So me and the wife spent a week off and the first 2 days was spent driving to Pikes Peak in Colorado, ...
1) because I never seen the Rockies, and 2) Well, the Z needed to prove herself road worthy.
So the trip was to extend from Kansas City, (close to) to Pikes peak. Supposed 558 miles from home to the Peak and 8 hours 22 mins non stop and 14k+ feet above sea level.. But who can put those kind of miles in? Surely not me.
Left to wash, dry and gas up at 7:33AM (Had to wash cause a Clean Zed is to be admired)
All was fine as we headed out, but the days temperatures that started out at 75F quickly shot up to a horrid 98F and I began to feel the wheels hopping and the road noise was extreme, so I pulled over and checked tire pressures and the fronts were at 45PSI and the backs 49PSI. Dropped them down to 33 and 39 and took back off and the road noise significantly reduced along with the tire hop that I was feeling.
Along the way we saw...... Wind farms..... one such due to the wife's wondering was over 26k acres of these things. Was quite impressive to drive and see them mile after mile. (Notice how great that Stubby looks on the fender)
And who cant travel with out taking a pic of the MPG eh? (Note, the odometer was not reset till we got home so the mileage you see was current for the trip after one fill up.
We actually got there with 1 and 1/2 tanks, not surprised as I normally get 330 miles if I keep my foot out of it on 3/4's of a tank.
We did make it to Colorado Springs and snagged a hotel room on the west side of Colorado Springs which set us up for a short drive to get onto Pikes Peak Highway the next morning.
Arrival.... 4:47PM
So we went out for a bite to eat down town. Tried to capture a pic as we headed back to the hotel put the pic does not do justice to real.
Being old I was up way before the wife the next morning and since the hotel room was non-smoking, I headed outside to get my morning fix. Went back, wife was up and we headed out for breakfast.
Kind of on my game plan, we were headed to pikes peak by 7 AM.
Arrival at the gate...... 7th inline at 7:24 AM....
This is the map of the road tho it seriously does not do it justice at the steepness of the road or how curvy it is.
At Crystal Reservoir we had to stop, like everyone else going to the summit as they had time trials going on for the next weekend so road was closed and we had to park and wait at a visitor/tourist trap. Was kind of cool listening to them as they were rocketing up the road that we had not seen yet. Which also made us respect cause the speeds they were doing and the output from the motors were fuggin serious. Last near an hour.... which left plenty of time for pics...
Did not realize it was so out of focus (thanks guard rail)
A look at Pikes Peak as we were listening to the cars rocketing to the top.
I know this is going to be a big challenge..... And We both were really enjoying the drive...The Zed was doing fabulous till we got to around 9.5k feet and as she was mostly in 2nd and 3rd the hole time up,.... I started to smell something burning. I smelt this smell a couple times previous when I really pushing her hard before near home. I'm not really sure where it was coming from tho I believe it was from the transmission.
Also can quite describe the smell as I work with Plastic. I know what that smells like burnt, so back to thinking hot transmission fluid or... (shrugs). Pulled off for a smoke in an off side parking spot, looked but saw nothing under the bonnet or on the ground. So back up we go..
The Z's pulling hard in 2nd with lots of rev range, the switch backs are really fun and we get another 3 miles up and I start smelling the smell again.
Asked the wife if she smelled it as the windows are down, the temps 63F, and she says yes... "Is that the car?"
Grrrr grrrr and double grrrrrrr.... So I push it up the hill to Cripple Creak. (fitting name that) and had to make a decision. Risk burning the tranny up as I believe that's the cause of the smell I smelt previously running her hard, or stop, and go back down.....? 6 miles to go to reach the summit, with serious switch backs and grades of 20%....... Parked at Cripple Creak.....
So I let the wife go inside and look for gifts while I seriously contemplated. Walked down a ravine and took this shot as I said to my self. "Fck fck fck!"
Att 11,425 feet and 6 miles to go, I called quits.
I chose to go back down, not risk burning up my transmission, which I believe is the smell I was smelling. and bring my baby back home so I can get that sorted out.
Cant complain for the miles I put on, tho I do seriously hate not making summit.
So this map shows where I decided to back off, or risk failure at 11424. (and a big bill)
Glad I installed new pads and rotors before I left. I know I smoked them once on the way down, Kind of hard not to, but at lest those got seriously bedded in, so to speak.
Off the mountain at 11:27 am .... back home at 8:09 PM
All in all, it was a hell of a trip to drive the Z on a serious road trip like that.
Road miles were 1187 miles, in two days.
When I stopped people either were staring or asking questions. Of coarse talking to those that were asking was quite fun, as always.
I will NOT road trip that car again like that as it beat us the hell up on the shitty roads.
Next time will be ship it to destination, pick it up and then drive it.
Hope you all enjoyed the log. I know I did as it was an experience to love/hate.
(Wipes forehead) Shooo, that was long eh?
(Howls Like only a Kapn can....)
Thanks for the write up and looks like it was a serious road trip. Just got to love the states and the huge variation in geography it offers. Did you finally confirm it was the transmission that caused the burning smell?
